Key Highlights
A British held hostage for more than a year by Al-Qaeda in Yemen has been rescued by United Arab Emirates forces.
On 23rd August 2015, authorities in Abu Dhabi and London confirmed the rescue military operation.
According to a statement on the UAE’s official WAM news agency, the 64 year old Douglas Robert Semple, a petroleum engineer, had kidnapped by Al-Qaeda sometimes in February 2014 Yemen’s vast desert Hadramawt province.
The UAE forces freed Semple in a military operation and took him to Yemen’s main southern city of Aden from where he was flown to Abu Dhabi.
He was taken to hospital for health checks and was found to be in good health. He was to leave for Britain following the medical checks.
Summary
Kidnappings has long been rife in Yemen, a country which has been wracked by series of conflicts since March when a Saudi-led coalition launched air strikes against the Houthi rebels which are backed by Iran.
Yemeni loyalists are backed by countries including Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
According to a report by the United Nations, Yemen conflict has led to nearly 4,500 people killed among them civilians.
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the local branch of the network, is considered among its most dangerous affiliates and has taken advantage of the chaos in Yemen to seize territory including Hadramawt provincial capital Mukalla.
Well done KDF and Amisom forces God will reward you abundantly